In various vehicles, especially in trucks and/or commercial vehicles, there is often a need to provide one or more sleeping area within the vehicle. By way of example, vehicles can often include one or more sleeper bunks or berths upon which one member of a driving team can rest while the other operates the vehicle, or which allows both members of the team to rest when parking the vehicle in a suitable rest area or stop.
While a variety of sleeper bunk or berth devices and systems are known, there is a continued need for improved devices and systems.
By way of example, the preferred embodiments of the present invention improve upon the technologies described in the following U.S. Patents, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,231,114 to Warmoth discloses a bunk arrangement in which gas cylinders hold the bunk in the upper stowed position. However, among other things, the bunk rests on stops in the deployed position.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,404 to Novoa, et al. (Freightliner) discloses a bunk system (see FIGS. 1 la and 1 lb and column 7) having a bunk platform that stores in a recess in the ceiling and that is held in place by a gas cylinder. However, among other things, the bunk is positioned for use by pulling down the front end (contracting a gas cylinder) until the front end contacts a stop, and by then pulling down the rear end. The rear part of the bunk rides in a guide slot. The gas cylinder pivots during this movement to provide a small amount of pressure to hold the bunk in the deployed position.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,638,559 to Natri, et al. discloses, as described in the Abstract of the patent, a vehicle sleeping system or berth including “a ceiling formed with a downwards open recess” and “a berth holder and a bearing for mounting the berth holder for turning relative to the ceiling structure between a generally horizontal retracted position and a generally vertical lowered position.” “A berth is journalled in the holder to be turnable when the holder is in its lowered position between an extended position, in which the berth extends substantially horizontally away from the holder, and a folded up position, in which the berth is disposed substantially vertically and is close to the holder.” As shown in the figure, “[a] first gas spring is effective against the holder for exerting, over substantially the entire range of angular movement of the holder, a torque that tends to turn the holder in the direction from its lowered position toward its retracted position and increases as a function of the angle through which the holder turns in the direction from its lowered position toward its retracted position over substantially the entire range of angular movement of the holder” and a “second gas spring is effective between the holder and the berth and exerts a torque that tends to turn the berth in the direction from its extended position toward its folded up position a bunk arrangement having a platform hinged on a swing arm and foldable into a recess in the ceiling.” As shown, the upper end of the swing arm has a protrusion 12 connected to a gas spring 10. The gas spring in an extended position holds the swing arm and bunk in the stored position. When the bunk is pulled down from the recess, the swing arm pivots, compressing the gas spring (which also pivots) until the gas spring and protrusion go past the center of rotation of the swing arm. The gas spring provides a very small force to maintain the swing arm in the deployed position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,141,093 to Marsden discloses, as described in the Abstract, “[a] sleeping berth for a passenger car compartment includes a tubular bed frame and mattress combination which is hingedly movable between use and non-use positions to a side wall of the car” and in which “[t]he bed frame is latched in the non-use position and includes webbing which is spring loaded to urge the bed into the non-use position upon initial movement when raising the berth from a sleeping or use position.” Among other things, the patent shows a pivoting bunk that is supported by spring tensioned straps.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,664,438 to Crepaldi discloses a pivoting berth or bunk arrangement for cabs of industrial vehicles or the like in which a strap supports the bunk in a lower position and can be reattached to support the bunk in an upper, stored position. As set forth in the Abstract, “[t]he bunk is so structured as to be easily deformed in case of a road accident by the thrust created by the rearward motion of the seats, when a device for automatic or manually-controlled rearward motion of the seats is activated, to contribute to the safety of the driver and the passenger.”
As set forth below, the preferred embodiments of the present invention provide notable advancements over the above references and other existing systems and devices.